Man trapped in massive Tampa sinkhole under his home (VIDEO)

A man inspects a sinkhole formed in a house in Guatemala City on July 19, 2011. A Florida man was trapped in a huge sinkhole late on Feb 28, authorities report.

A 36-year-old Tampa, Florida man has been trapped in a yawning sinkhole, after it suddenly opened under the room where he had been sleeping.

The man's brother managed to escape the sinkhole but wasn't able to pull his sibling out of danger, wrote Tampa Bay Online, which noted that the sinkhole was about 30 feet across, and perhaps stretching 100 feet beneath the surface.

"Typically, it is only when a road or house happens to be located above developing karst features such as a sinkhole that headlines are made," says the FGS.

"Since much of Florida is karstic in nature, these same processes are continually taking place. As such, there is a certain degree of risk in living on karst. However, most people accept the risk as one price to pay for living in the sunshine state."